awkward

If you are awkward, chances are you are uncomfortable. You could feel socially awkward, like when you forget the host's name. Or, you may feel physically awkward, like when you trip on your way to the podium.

Have you ever felt clumsy and that you had two left feet? That is how it is to feel awkward — literally that you are going in the wrong direction. Awkward is an example of a word literally meaning something and then figuratively meaning something related. Its Middle English roots are awke, meaning "backhanded," and -ward, to "go in the direction of." So, if you are feeling uncomfortable, or clumsy, it's probably because your hands are connected to you the wrong way!